The Kolkata Queer Arts Month (Ko:QAM 2.0) has commenced and this time exhibitions are taking place simultaneously at three different locations. The chosen sites — Aranya Bari, Anjali Pratyay and Experimenter — hold distinct significances to pride and art at large. Through a series of conversations, displays, workshops and presentations under the theme Ghosts and Ghettos, Ko:QAM will renegotiate the relationship marginalised sections and queer people share with established gallery spaces.

In all three sites, the exhibitions explore whether galleries — often spaces of creative expression — are paradoxically sites of exclusion. It confronts the metaphor of the “ghetto”, a term that resonates deeply within queer and trans communities, who have historically faced marginalisation across lines of class, caste, race, and gender.

I, Exist is a 3-meter-long acrylic on canvas that powerfully confronts systemic erasure of marginalized identities, celebrating resilience. Through dynamic, chaotic strokes, it embodies the tension between survival and resistance, evoking hope for the global LGBTIQA community. "My art navigates the intersections of identity, history, and emotion. It embodies resistance and celebrates resilience, bridging personal and collective struggles. Each stroke is a testament to existence, defying systemic erasure while honoring hope and survival amidst chaos." said artist, Archee Roy

The month-long displays have brought together artists, community members, and allies in a warm and inclusive space. With its focus on storytelling through art, Ghosts and Ghettos explores the invisible yet powerful intersections of queer identities with histories of exclusion, trauma, and belonging.

Through its thought-provoking curation, Ghosts and Ghettos challenges viewers to reconsider the boundaries between the mainstream and the marginalised, between what is deemed art and craft, and the binaries that often dominate cultural spaces.

“After curating the inaugural edition of Ko:QAM, watching the team plan and execute edition 2.0 has been equally thrilling. More than an interlocutor, I was glad to just listen and have the team bounce their ideas off me. They have done a brilliant job,” said clothesmaker and artist Kallol Datta.

By amplifying voices from across intersectional lines, Ko:QAM 2.0 continues its mission to foster inclusion, provoke dialogue, and celebrate the diversity of queer experiences while keeping the queer anger intact. It is a call to action for a more equitable and expansive understanding of art and identity.